


Leaving Storybrooke

by peacehopeandrats



Series: Growing Up [1]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-31
Updated: 2018-05-31
Packaged: 2019-05-16 13:16:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,847
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14812076
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/peacehopeandrats/pseuds/peacehopeandrats
Summary: Quick SummaryPeople have often said they wanted a series based on the Gold family and their adventures. Here's my version of what it could have been.TimingThis fills in all the space between Gideon's first birthday and Belle's death.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Obligatory "posting fanfiction makes me uncomfortable" remarks  
> Being my first independent series, I feel this stumbles along a little.  
> I don't like magic.  
> I can't do magic.  
> And I'm rubbish at explaining what I don't know about.  
> I wanted to explore the Gold family's adventures, so I did.  
> And yes, the title was a play on words.

Belle was frantic. She always seemed to be these days. Having the baby had shifted her personality from calm and collected to busy and excitable. Though the more he thought about it, the more Rumplestiltskin realized all of those traits had been a part of her from the beginning, they were just manifesting differently as their son grew. He watched her dashing around the room, picking up this and that, randomly chattering at herself as she searched for things, and he could feel the smile spreading on his face. 

Then she waved at him.

“Hm Sorry?” Realizing he was still holding the shirt he had been folding, Rumple set it into his bag.

The light in Belle's eyes grew, even as she scolded him. “Were you listening? I can't find the outfit Killian and Emma gave Gideon for his birthday. We're going to need all of the newest clothes to-” She stopped talking and blinked at him, bending a little at the knee to try and catch his gaze. “Hello? Rumple, are you all right?”

“I'm fine,” he answered, crossing the room to join her. 

The corners of his wife's mouth twitched upward and her words took on a flirtatious tone. “Then what were you thinking?”

“I was thinking,” said Rumple as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, “of how much I love to see you this happy.”

“'Happy' would be finding that outfit,” she teased, draping her arms over his shoulders.

“It's in the laundry pile,” came the offhanded answer, which earned Rumple a swat on the arm. 

“Rumple! I've been searching for that for twenty minutes!”

Tenderly, Rumple reached up to tame an unruly strand of Belle's hair. “Belle, we can't take everything. Whatever we need, we can get along the way.”

“I know, I just...” She looked around the room at all of the things they would be leaving behind on their grand tour of the world and all the other realms. “I _want_ to go on this adventure with you, but leaving our home, our friends... I don't even know where to begin.”

“I have you and we have Gideon... Out of anything in this house or the shop... The two of you are all that I really need. I just wish it hadn't taken me so long to see it.”

She smiled up at him, full of love. “Rumple, that's all the past now.” She stood taller to kiss his cheek, then looked around at the piles of clothing and open luggage. “And this... this is our future.”

“If you don't want to go..” He teased her, pulling away to reach for one of the open bags.

“Rumplestiltskin, don't you dare-” The rest of her words vanished into a deep kiss. When they finally parted, she nudged him away. “If we keep that up we won't ever leave.”

“I did plan the first leg of our journey to be by car, just in case we found ourselves... delayed.” His eyebrows raised in an unspoken suggestion, but he took a breath to settle himself and reached over to the dresser, holding up an envelope. “Which reminds me. This is for you.”

Belle took it from him, eyes widening as the object inside slid from one part of the folded paper to another. Gingerly she tore at one of the corners and slid her finger along the length so that she could peek inside. 

“I spent the last year making certain we would have what we needed once we were gone,” he explained as she held up a bank card, studying the side with her name on it. “And that preparation included you. That card is linked to an account in New York, with enough money so that if you and Gideon should decide you had to leave, you could be comfortable.”

“Stop!” His wife's sudden anger made him blink hard. She hadn't been this upset with him since before the curse was broken. She held the small rectangle as if it could banish all thought from his mind. “Do you think this is what I want? We're finally happy together, as a family-”

Rumple held up his hands to calm her. “This _is_ about your happiness,” he insisted calmly. “Belle, all of our lives together I have kept you in some way. I took you from your father, brought you to my castle and made you my prisoner. And then when I found you here, I did everything I could to make certain you wouldn't leave me because I wanted you. I wanted you so desperately. I needed you to make me the better man that I wanted to be.” He could feel his eyes tearing up, but fought to hold the moisture back. “This bank card isn't about my _thinking_ you will leave, it's about _finally_ being Mr. and Mrs. Gold. It's a promise that you and Gideon can live your lives as _you_ choose.”

A single tear dripped from Belle's eye and she wiped it away. “Well,” she tried to huff, “we choose to stay with you, don't we Gideon?”

From the floor in the sitting area, their son looked up from his toys and babbled, making his father smile.

“In that case, Mrs. Gold, you keep that card so that you can have whatever the two of you desire along the way.” Taking Belle's hand, he tenderly wrapped her fingers around the hard plastic, and surrounded them with his own. 

“I thought all we needed was each other,” she teased, but packed it once her hands were released.

“Ah,” said Rumple as he picked up Gideon and bounced him once to make him laugh. “I expect that this young man will grow as we travel... and I seem to remember him being quite tall.” He winked at Belle, as he reached into the pile and held up the outfit that had begun their conversation. “And somehow I don't think he will win meany hearts wearing this at 16.”

The sound of Belle's laughter filled the room and lifted Rumple's heart to the sky.


	2. Chapter 2

It had been over a year since the dwarves had painted the word “Queen” on her office door, but there were still times when Regina was struck with the sensation of newness about her position. The job itself hadn't changed, since she always mingled the positions of Mayor and Queen freely, but the people's willingness to approach her now could be somewhat overwhelming. The current request to hold a grand ball before the winter also included an invitation, which Regina now understood to be a genuine display of affection rather than a bribe. Back in the day, that wouldn't have been the first thought to come to her mind.

Her work was interrupted by a knock on the door. “Come in,” she called out with distraction as she skimmed the next document in the pile; building plans for Cinderella's new daycare. She looked up and saw the Dark One hovering in the doorway.

“I don't want to interrupt,” he apologized.

“No, _please_ interrupt,” she insisted, waving a hand at the chair in front of her. “I'd love a few minutes without having to read the fine print of something before I sign it.”

Rumplestiltskin chuckled. “Yes, I remember those days... It was usually me passing out the paperwork.” He sat in the chair, leaning forward leisurely, the posture of a proud parent having replaced his stuffy store owner persona some time ago. 

“I'm sorry,” she said. “I didn't mean to imply-”

The Dark One waved his hand in the air. “No need,” he said of her desire to apologize. “Everything has changed since then. I know what I was and I know what I want to be from this point on.” He held his hands up as if presenting evidence on his palms. “No more curses, no more magic.”

As he clasped his hands back over his lap, Regina caught sight of his ring and thought of Belle. “She really has changed you.”

“Love did,” he answered. “But you would know about that.”

Regina thought about Robin and how he had always nudged the good out of her and into the open. She nodded. “I do.” Taking a long breath to steady herself from his memory, she asked, “What can I do for you?”

“Well, I'm sure you know Belle and I will be leaving soon-”

“Already?” Her eyes grew wide with surprise and she fought the urge to look at her calendar. “But I thought the Charmings had planned-”

Rumple nodded as he cut in on her words. “A celebration. Yes, I know.” He seemed less than thrilled with the idea. “Belle and I haven't exactly had the most traditional of relationships... I don't know that it's really necessary. We've talked about it and I think she plans on saying our goodbyes privately, rather than all at once in some grand display.”

“Sounds like Belle,” Regina agreed, but then thought about the man in front of her, adding “and you.”

The Dark One's eyes widened in surprise, but before he could say anything, she explained. “All those years plotting and scheming, then suddenly here you are with nothing to do but be happy day after day. Don't get me wrong, it's wonderful, but... It is a change.” She emphasized the last words with exasperation. 

Regina knew this journey they were taking was about more than giving Belle the adventures she had always dreamed of. That pull to always be doing something, to need a back door from capture, to have a plan against your enemies, sometimes had her doing crazy things simply because it was habitual. She couldn't even count the number of times she organized her grocery list, just so that she could have a strategy, even if it was only for shopping. Her mind was hard wired for it and it was hard to let go.

“Ex-villain to ex-villain, it does make one a little restless,” answered Rumplestiltskin with a hint of a smile that said he was reading her expression. “But somehow, I couldn't be happier.”

One eyebrow went up on Regina's forehead. “I know what you mean.” She gestured at the papers in front of her with a smile. “What do you plan on adding to this jumble? Because I know you, Rumplestiltskin, the new you as well as the old one, and you didn't come here just to say goodbye.”

“No,” said Rumple. “It's about my shop. I want to draw up papers that leave it and the house to Gideon, in case he should ever want to return some day.”

Regina frowned. “Surely if he comes back, you would come with him...”

Rumple's eyes closed and he took a breath. So there _was_ a plan to this journey. Regina could read him like a book and she knew he wasn't about to reveal any part of it. Though she silently waited for the half-explanation that she knew would come.

“Time is different in every Realm,” he said without hesitation. “I just want to be certain my son has a place to come home to.”

“Of course!” Regina nodded adamantly. “You are _all_ welcome to come back, you know that.”

The man reached into his suit pocket and pulled out a legal envelope, thick with folded papers. “This is everything he needs to continue ownership of the shop and our home. I believe Belle already handled the care of the library..”

Regina's lips tightened to try and contain her sadness. They were really leaving. These were the final steps. “She has.”

“Then please make sure these get filed away... wherever papers like them go to await their owners. Everything is to remain exactly as it is: the shop, the house, and all they contain. I'll make sure the power and water are cut off before we leave. If anyone hasn't retrieved their things after this much notice, well, they're out of luck.”

Regina took the envelope, opened it and glanced over what was written there. “I don't see your cabin on here.”

Rumple shook his head. “I gave that property up long ago.”

With a nod, Regina folded up the papers and returned them to their tight home. “All right. You have my word this will be honored whenever it needs to be.”

With a flourish that he hadn't used in Storybrooke, Rumplestiltskin stood and gave one of his elaborate bows. “Thank you, Your Majesty.”

Regina attempted to respond in kind, but her heart wasn't in the gesture, making her movements stiff. When they were eye to eye again, she held up a finger. “Can I tempt you into making one final deal?”

Rumple looked at her curiously, but smiled. “That, Dearie, depends on what you are offering.”

“Any time you need something, I don't care if it's apples or deodorant, you come back here to get it.” Thinking back on the deal they made when she created Storybrooke, she added a playful, “please.”

The smile on the Dark One's face grew and he nodded. “How can I resist?”


	3. Chapter 3

Rumplestiltskin came down the stairs with two bags in each hand. “Is this really everything?”

With Gideon on her hip, Belle stood in the doorway and looked from his hands to the pile of bags outside that awaited a place in their car. She whispered numbers as she counted, then glanced at the four that her husband hefted awkwardly through the entry. “I _think_ so. Did you get the small one in Gideon's room?”

“Yes.”

“And that green floral one of mine from the bathroom?”

“Yes,” answered her husband as she followed him to the car. “I put it in one of these.” Rumple held up two bags for display before setting them on the curb to open the trunk.

“What about Gideon's diaper bag?”

Rumple crossed the distance between the car and his wife and touched her arm gently. “Belle,” he said softly. “ _You_ have that. It's here.” He smiled at her and removed the bag from her shoulder so that it could go in the car, then reached out to hold Gideon's outstretched hand.

Belle shook her head. “Sorry, sorry... I just... I want to make sure we have everything.”

“I think we have everything,” he answered with a hint of exhaustion in his tone. “What about you Gideon? Do you think we could fit one more thing into my car? Hm?”

Gideon laughed happily at the faces his father made at him, babbling random sounds and occasionally getting out a “kuh” sort of noise.

“Right. Well, let's see, shall we?” Rumple let go of Gideon's hand, brushed a feathery touch against Belle's cheek, then moved to the car and began playing luggage Tetris. As he worked, Belle pointed at various bags and suggested where they should go, now and then changing her mind based on what was inside of them. Twice a bag had to be moved from trunk to back seat because the contents had to be easily accessible for the sake of their son. Finally Rumple stopped working and stood to face her. “Belle... If you want to stay...”

“Don't be silly,” she insisted, flushing a little. “Of course I want to _go_ , it's just... Rumple, we have so many memories here...”

“Not all of them were happy ones,” he reminded her.

“True, but most of them were. I'm excited to go, I am-”

“But you'll miss everyone and the life we had here,” he finished for her, thinking that this must have been the tenth time they had gone through this conversation in as many days. “We can come back. The house and the shop are still ours, we can return home whenever you want.”

Belle nodded, then her eyes grew wide. “Gideon's snacks! I left them on the counter.”

Holding his arms out for Gideon, Rumple tilted his head to the open door. “Why don't I take him and you can run through the house and make sure we didn't leave anything behind.”

“Good idea,” Belle said. After settling their son into Rumple's arms, she dashed up the porch steps to survey the building's interior.

“Son,” mumbled Rumplestiltskin, watching her go. “I love your mother more than anything, but sometimes... sometimes I love her even more than that.” 

Gideon grabbed his father's collar and tugged at it as he jabbered away in answer. 

“I don't know how it's possible either,” Rumple replied to the happy gibberish. “But it is. We are very lucky men, Gideon, to have your mother be a part of our lives.”

With a talent that comes from a year's worth of practice, Rumplestiltskin finished packing the car as he held Gideon, then slammed the trunk shut before Belle could critique his handiwork. He checked to make sure that all of the necessary bags were in the back seat, then looked up at the empty porch and could just barely make out Belle in the semi darkness beyond the doorway. “We'd best go see what's keeping your Mum this time,” he whispered as he crossed the lawn.

“Muh,” Gideon repeated loudly, stretching out a hand in front of himself as if he could pull her toward them.

Belle stepped out to join them on the porch. “I got _everything_. I promise.” She nodded her head once with a finality that meant she was not changing her mind on this. She looked inside once more, leaning against Rumple, who tucked her in to his free side and kissed the top of her head. After a long sigh, her head tipped up to him. “Let's go start our own story,” she said as she pulled the door shut on their past.

Hand in hand Rumplestiltskin and Belle walked to the car, ready to move on from the town they had called home, but the town didn't seem ready to move on from them. Just as Rumple had bent to put Gideon in his car seat, someone called out, “Wait!”

The three looked up to see Hook and Emma, her parents, Henry, and Regina making their way up the road. The voice had been the sheriff's. “We were afraid we'd be too late,” the blond worried breathlessly.

Rumple opened his mouth to protest, but Regina held up her hand. “I _know_ you didn't want a big farewell display and we've already said our goodbyes. This is just your extended family coming to give you a gift.” 

Snow White held up a beautifully carved box for Belle to take. “We didn't want you to leave without having a way to stay in touch,” she said, then turned to Rumple as Belle opened the lid to peek inside. “We decided that since you gave up magic, we would make you a few things that even people without powers can use, just in case you needed them.”

Belle rambled out a list of some of the box's contents, now an expert on such things by association with her husband. “Magic beans, locator spells... memory potion?”

Regina shrugged. “Just in case something happens between now and the next time you cross the town line. I know it's been peaceful, but...”

“We tried to think of everything,” added David, though the direction of his gaze indicated his wife was the culprit more than anyone.

“This,” said Belle, holding up a pen and stationary set decorated with birds in springtime, “This is beautiful.”

“Every envelope in that set is enchanted to find it's way here,” Snow White told them happily. “There are plenty of ways to stay in touch with us in this realm, but we want you to stay in touch for as long as you can once you start exploring others.”

The glint of a chain caught Rumple's eye and he leaned closer to peer into the box. Under the jumble of items, he could just make out the edge of a round object. “An enchanted compass...” He looked up at Killian in surprise. That couldn't have been an easy item for him to obtain, or to give away. The pirate could have no idea that the secret task hidden inside of their family excursion could use an object that would point him to what he most wanted. “I assume this comes from you?”

“Aye,” said the pirate, smiling. “I just thought, traveling with a young lad... In case he wanders off...” Hook's shoulders rose and fell in a casual shrug, but the actual importance of the gift was clear on his face. There was no expectation that Rumple would use the compass to seek power, it was solely meant to protect his child. The thought touched Rumple deeply. 

As he replaced the item, Belle held up a mini dream catcher, which illuminated to show an image of the town, then another which brightened into a sort of magical family portrait of Emma's wedding. 

“Those are for Gideon,” piped up Emma. “To hang over his bed or... wherever.. Something to help him remember his family.” 

Rumple could feel a tear come to his eye and his lip quivered as he struggled with the emotion the gifts brought up in him. Their acceptance of him had been slow, but the depth of it had been quite powerful at the end.

Belle put the box down, vowing to go through it properly at another time, and went around the group hugging everyone, saying yet one more goodbye and sharing another tear or two along the way. Rumple followed, shaking hands with David and Killian and sharing farewells with the women. When he reached Henry, he passed Gideon back to Belle and nodded away from the group. “Henry, can I have a moment?”

“Sure, Grandpa,” the boy said cheerfully as he followed him into the yard, away from the rest.

“I know this trip means I'll miss your graduation.”

Henry shook his head. “It's all right. I understand. You and Gr- ..” He corrected himself quickly. “... _Belle_ deserve to be happy. You're a savior too, _and_ a hero.”

Rumple tilted his head, still not so sure about some of what Henry had said, but knowing the boy wasn't exactly wrong either. “I've been talking to August,” he confided as his grandson's eyes widened. “And he tells me you have been learning to ride his motorcycle...”

Henry opened his mouth to protest but Rumple held up a finger to stop him. “I _also_ know that you have been talking a lot about what to do after school...”

“I still have a lot of time to decide,” insisted Henry a little too quickly.

Rumplestiltskin tried not to let a smile give away his surprise as he glanced conspiratorially over his shoulder. “Belle doesn't know, but I _did_ cast _one_ spell after we decided to leave.”

Henry leaned closer, surprise covering his face. “What did you do?”

Chuckling, Rumple pointed at some random place down the road. “Let's just say that should you choose a path that takes you from Storybrooke and into another realm, you won't be worried about transportation.”

It took Henry a moment or two to fit the pieces together, then the boy smiled. “You enchanted the motorcycle, didn't you?”

“Well, I couldn't have my grandson stranded on the side of some woodland road in a realm without fuel, could I?”

Beaming, Henry threw his arms around his grandfather, squeezing the air from him. “Thanks!” In a heartbeat, he released Rumple and smiled, seeming embarrassed. “I mean... I still don't know what I'm going to do yet...”

“But now you'll be prepared either way,” Rumple insisted, giving Henry a loving pat on the shoulder. “Not a word of this to anyone, it's _our_ secret.”

Henry shook his head, playfully doubtful. “ _Someone_ is going to figure it out...”

“Oh, I doubt that, my boy. By the time they get over the shock of your decision... if, in fact it _is_ what you decide... you will already be in another realm and once you're there you can claim you got the magic from anywhere.” Nodding at the gathered group by his car, Rumple added, “I wanted my last spell to be a gift, not something that brought someone to their end. As the author, you can understand that, can't you?”

His grandson nodded. “The others won't see it that way, but I do. I think Belle would be okay with it, if you ever tell her.” He glanced at the others, then took Rumple's hand and held it in a firm handshake. “It's a deal. I won't say a word. I promise.”

Rumple turned to join the others, then stopped and looked back at him. “One other thing. You aren't allowed to let this gift interfere with your decision. The choice to continue your schooling or find your own story, _must_ be yours. I don't want my magic influencing your decisions.”

The small smile on Henry's face grew into a warm, radiant one. It felt so natural for the two of them to be talking like this about the future, man to man. Rumplestiltskin would miss moments like this almost as much as Belle would miss everything else and it suddenly hit him just what she must be feeling.

“Even if I don't travel to other realms, I'd still need the bike to get to and from school. Free gas isn't a bad gift to give a traveling college student,” Henry admitted as proof that the magic wouldn't influence his choice. “It can work either way.” 

Rumple clapped Henry on the shoulder and the two made their way back to the gathering, where Belle was saying her truly final goodbyes.

“We really are so grateful,” she insisted, wrapping an arm around Rumple's waist as he came near. “Thank you all.”

“It's the least we could do,” said David, more serious than he had been since the curse was broken. “The two of you have been through so much and you still chose to help us after all the years of what we put you through. We're honored to call you family.”

Touched by this repeating sentiment, Rumple could only nod once, a gesture which David returned.

“Well,” breathed Regina, looking around at everyone. “I guess we should let you go.”

“Thanks,” Rumple managed, his voice cracking. “Truly.” He put a hand to his chest and gave the slightest of bows to the group as Belle buckled their son into his seat.

“Buh, buh,” Gideon repeated over and over, his hand bobbing in the air even after Belle had released it. This broke the hearts of everyone standing outside of the car, causing a tear or two to moisten the pavement.

“I promise we'll keep in touch,” insisted Belle as Rumple opened the passenger door so she could get in. “We'll send postcards and pictures...”

Snow White nodded. “We'll hold you to that.”

With a deep breath and a final smile for everyone, Belle sat and her husband closed the door once she was settled. As Rumplestiltskin walked around to the opposite door, his eyes moistened again, but this time he let a tear fall. “These gifts... You can't know how much they mean to me,” he murmured to the group, unable to control his voice the way he wanted to. “To know that you see us as family...”

Emma reached out a hand to his shoulder , stilling him before his lip go quiver too obviously. “You _are_ family, Gold. Don't ever forget that.” She blinked her eyes in an obvious attempt to cover her own emotion, then nodded in the direction of the car. “Now go and live happily ever after.”

Smiling, Rumple got in to the driver's seat and shut the door behind him. As he started the engine, each of the Golds waved through the window before the car moved off down the road, shrinking the others as they drove away.

Belle's hand crept across the seat and found his, squeezing, then releasing it to return to the wheel. “Do you think we _will_ see them again?”

“That depends on many things,” he answered thoughtfully. There were so many ways that their story could turn, so many possibilities for a reunion, but he realized that for the first time in his life none of those paths mattered. “I don't want to think about the future right now,” he admitted, surprised at this openness with himself. 

“What have you done to my husband, Mr. Gold?” Belle teased, nudging him.

Rumple smiled. “I am driving across a country that I don't know with my beautiful wife at my side and our _young_ son laughing behind me. Nothing I plan could bring me a moment more powerful than this one.”

“I hope you're wrong,” his wife said softly, looking out at the road and the green sign that drew closer. “I hope there are more powerful moments to come.”

Rumple allowed one hand off the wheel so that he could briefly twine his fingers into hers. “I hope you're right, Mrs. Gold,” he said as they crossed the line that had defined their past and traveled into their future as a family.


End file.
